Texas Midwife, Assistant Are First Offenders Arrested for Allegedly Performing Abortions During State’s Near-Total Ban
‘In Texas, life is sacred. I will always do everything in my power to protect the unborn,’ Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton says.
A Texas midwife and her assistant were arrested for allegedly performing illegal abortions, making them the first to face criminal charges under a near-total ban on abortion in the state.
Maria Margarita Rojas, 48, known as “Dr. Maria,” and her employee, Jose Ley, are alleged to have conducted a number of illegal procedures without proper medical licenses out of a network of clinics in the Houston area. They were arrested on Monday and charged with the illegal performance of an abortion, a second-degree felony that carries a 20-year prison sentence, and practicing medicine without a license. Both are being held on a pair of bonds totaling $700,000.
“In Texas, life is sacred. I will always do everything in my power to protect the unborn, defend our state’s pro-life laws, and work to ensure that unlicensed individuals endangering the lives of women by performing illegal abortions are fully prosecuted,” Attorney General Ken Paxton of Texas says in a released statement. “Texas law protecting life is clear, and we will hold those who violate it accountable.”
An investigation under AG Paxton’s Law Enforcement Division found that Ms. Rojas operated clinics in Waller, Cypress, and Spring. Each facility employed staff falsely presenting themselves as licensed medical professionals.
Prosecutors at Waller County allege that Ms. Rojas performed illegal abortions on a cash-only basis, according to court documents obtained by KPRC.
The AG’s program enforcement division has shuttered the network of clinics and will likely seek civil penalties of $100,000 per violation under the Texas Human Life Protection Act of 2021.
Performing abortions in Texas, which are only permitted when there is a risk of death or “substantial impairment on a major bodily function,” can carry a term of life in prison.
Friends of Ms. Rojas maintain that she is innocent of any wrongdoing.
“I think she’s innocent,” Holly Shearman told the local news outlet. “She’s a wonderful Christian woman.”
“It’s not part of our scope of practice. I can’t see her doing something like this.”
